KOLOA — The orange of mango and the green of sweet grass makes a great spring-color combination. Sandalwood and lavender are pretty good, too. But according to Island Soap & Candle Works manager Amy Winters, any fruity scent combined with
KOLOA — The orange of mango and the green of sweet grass makes a great spring-color combination.
Sandalwood and lavender are pretty good, too.
But according to Island Soap & Candle Works manager Amy Winters, any fruity scent combined with coconut will give off that great island feel.
“If you really love those mai tais, those are going to do it for you,” she said.
Winters specializes in creating and decorating with candles and soaps, which has become a hot domestic trend.
Who doesn’t have at least one scented candle or a specialty soap around the house? Winters said that years ago, believe it or not, she met one person who hadn’t caught on to the candle craze.
“One lady came in because she had a gift certificate or something and she asked what she could do with it,” Winters said. “So I said, ‘Well, you could buy candles with it and decorate your home.’ And she said, ‘People light candles even when they have power?’ I said ‘Yes, and that people do it all the time.’” Once Winters started showing her options, the lady started filling her baskets with nicely scented candles. “No matter what color you’ve chosen, you’ll be able to find the candle or soap to match,” Winters said.
Winters said the most popular items are the pineapple-scented items.
There are of course, other alternatives to bringing the fresh scents into the home. There are fragrance oils and incense sticks that will do the trick.
“The oils are a stronger fragrance than the candles,” she said. “But the thing with the oils is, you can water them down if they’re too strong for you. With candles you can’t; you get the scent you get.” The oils, like the candles, should be burned in specialized holders.
Incense gives off a scent, but does so through smoke.
“Some people like incense because it’s not an open flame, but it’s got the smokiness and 2006the scent goes away when the stick goes out,” Winters said.
Winters said she’s decorated her home with just about everything from pillars to votives and decorated local pottery from White Smith Pottery from ‘Oma‘o.
She said that when people walk through the doors of the shop, they often say they want their homes to smell just like it does in the shop.
“It’s really easy to do that. It’s a combination of everything and the good thing is that (the candles and soaps) are all made with natural oils, so they’re not too overwhelming,” she said.
When burning candles, there are important things to remember.
Here are a few safety tips from the Burn Prevention Foundation:
• Keep candles away from flammable items such as clothing or paper.
• Lit candles should not be placed on windowsills.
• Candles should fit securely in their candleholders.
• Wicks should be trimmed to about 1/4 inch.
• Extinguish candles when they get within two inches of the holders.
• Lanaly Cabalo, lifestyle writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 237) or lcabalo@kauaipubco.com.
